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Religion is Advice

The Fiqh of Islam, Vol 26

Ramadan Series 2013

Mawlana Shaykh Hisham Kabbani

3 August 2013 Fenton Zawiya, Michigan

Fajr Suhbah

A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytaani 'r-rajeem. Bismillahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem.

Nawaytu 'l-arba`een, nawaytu 'l-`itikaaf, nawaytu 'l-khalwah, nawaytu 'l-`uzlah,

nawaytu 'r-riyaadah, nawaytu 's-sulook, lillahi ta`alaa fee haadha 'l-masjid.

أَطِيعُواْ اللّهَ وَأَطِيعُواْ الرَّسُولَ وَأُوْلِي الأَمْرِ مِنكُمْ

Atee`oollaha wa atee`oo 'r-Rasoola wa ooli 'l-amri minkum.

Obey Allah, obey the Prophet, and obey those in authority among you. (Surat an-Nisa, 4:59)

Salaam `alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakaatuh. Another day, a new day, a new page. For us days are new, but for Allah there is nothing except that He knows, there is nothing new. Everything is in His Hands, Yad al-Qudra, the Hand of Power. He is the One who can say, kun fayakoon, "'Be!' and it will be." And it is said, wa amruhu bayna ‘l-kaafi wa ‘n-noon, that His Order, or His Will is not yet to say 'noon,' but when He says "kun!" everything appears as He wants it to appear.

We are simple creatures, but Allah (swt) honored us:

وَلَقَدْ كَرَّمْنَا بَنِي آدَمَ وَحَمَلْنَاهُمْ فِي الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ وَرَزَقْنَاهُم مِّنَ الطَّيِّبَاتِ وَفَضَّلْنَاهُمْ عَلَى كَثِيرٍ مِّمَّنْ خَلَقْنَا تَفْضِيلاً

Wa laqad karamna Bani Adam wa hamalnaahum fi ’l-barri wa ‘l-bahri wa razaqnaahum min at-tayyibaati wa faddalnaahum `alaa katheerin mimman khalaqnaa tafdeela.

We have honored the Children of Adam, provided them with transport on land and sea, given them for sustenance things good and pure, and conferred on them special favors above a great part of Our Creation. (Surat al-Israa’, 17:70)

Allah honored us, He honored us and He provided us with everything. 'Tayyibaat' means not only good provision, but Allah is Tayyib, Yuhibb at-Tayyib. Tayyib is something ripe and tasteful, something whose sweetness you cannot express; delightful. So Allah (swt) honored us with what, because we are honored. Honored us because He honored His Prophet (s). How did He honor him? There are many things with which Allah honored the Prophet (s), but one of the main honors is that Allah created him from His Light. Allah created that Light and said, “Koonee Muhammad (Be, Muhammad!).”

رواه عبد الرزاق بسنده عن جابر بن عبد الله بلفظ قال قلت: يا رسول الله، بأبي أنت وأمي، أخبرني عن أول شيء خلقه الله قبل الأشياء. قال: يا جابر، إن الله تعالى خلق قبل الأشياء نور نبيك من نوره،...

`An Jaabir ibn `AbdAllah qaala: qultu yaa Rasoolullah, bi-abee anta wa ummee, akhbirnee `an awwala shay’in khalaqahu’Llaaha qabla ‘l-ashyaa? Qaala: yaa Jaabir, inna’Llaaha ta`ala khalaqa qabla al-ashyaa noora nabiyyika min noorih...

When Jaabir (r) asked, “Let my father and mother be sacrificed for you, oh Prophet of Allah! What is the first thing that Allah (swt) created?” the Prophet (s) said, “The first thing that Allah (swt) created is the Light of your Prophet from His Light, O Jaabir.” (Musannaf `Abdu ’r-Razzaq)

Awwala ma khalaq-Allahu noora nabiyyika, yaa Jaabir. The first thing Allah created was Noor an-Nabi, the Light of the Prophet (s) from His Light. So Allah honored us because of Noor an-Nabi, not because you are beautiful, or handsome, or rich or you have a Rolex in your hand, no, but because there is something special that He didn’t give anyone, where He said in Holy Qur’an:

قَدْ جَاءكُم مِّنَ اللّهِ نُورٌ وَكِتَابٌ مُّبِينٌ

Qad jaakum min Allaahi noorun wa kitaabun mubeen.

Indeed, there has come to you from Allah a Light (Prophet Muhammad) and a plain Book (this Qur'an). (Surat al-Maa’idah, 5:15)

“Verily has come to you Light and a Perspicuous Book.” There was first nothing, zhulma, darkness, no light, you cannot see, and then Allah (swt) sent that light, noor an-nabi (s), bihi, bi noor an-nabi bi qudratullah `azza wa jall, wa bi noori ’n-nabi, that Allah (swt) dressed him with His Greatness, that noor as we said before wherever He (swt) sent it, those people became enlightened.

إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ خَلَقَ خَلْقَهُ فِي ظُلْمَةٍ فَأَلْقَى عَلَيْهِمْ مِنْ نُورِهِ فَمَنْ أَصَابَهُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ النُّورِ اهْتَدَى وَمَنْ أَخْطَأَهُ ضَلَّ فَلِذَلِكَ أَقُولُ جَفَّ الْقَلَمُ عَلَى عِلْمِ اللَّهِ

Inna ’Llaaha `azza wa jalla khalaqa khalqahu fee zhulmatin fa-alqaa `alayhim min noorihi fa man asaabahu min dhaalika ‘n-noor ahtadaa wa man akhtaahu dalla fa li-dhaalika aqoolu jaffa ‘l-qalamu `alaa `ilmi ’Llaah.

The Prophet (s) said: Indeed Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, created His creation in darkness, then He cast His Light upon them, so whoever is touched by that Light he is guided, and whoever is not, he goes astray. It is for this reason that I say that the pens have dried with Allah's knowledge.

(Hadith of `Abdullah ibn `Amr reported by Imam Ahmad in his Musnad.)

Inna ’Llaaha ta`ala khalaqa khalqahu fee zhulma, “Verily, Allah created His Creation, all of it, nothing had been left out, in darkness.” You cannot see anything. You are there, He will bring you quickly. And what is the continuation of the hadith? Fa-alqaa `alayhim min noorihi, “Then He threw on them His Light.” That Light that He dressed, that is the Light of the Prophet (s). Fa man asaabahu min dhaalika ‘n-noor ahtadaa, “Whoever reached the Light was guided.”

Allah (swt) said:

إِنَّكَ لَا تَهْدِي مَنْ أَحْبَبْتَ وَلَكِنَّ اللَّهَ يَهْدِي مَن يَشَاء

Laa tahdee man ahbabta inna ’Llaaha yahdee man yashaa'u.

Surely you cannot guide whom you love, but Allah guides whom He pleases. (Surat al-Qasas, 28:56)

Be happy because Allah chose you, He chose us all, be thankful Allah guided us or else we will be lost!

Wa man akhtaahu dalla, “And the one whom the Light missed was misguided, deviated, lost completely.”

Aqoolu, jaffa al-qalam bi `ilmi ’Llaahi ta`ala. The Prophet (s) said, "The Heavenly Pen has written everything, those who are guided and those who are not misguided, and the ink has dried, no more writing."

And on the Day of Alastu bi-rabbikum, that is finished, when some said yes and some said no to Allah's question, “Am I not your Lord?” It is finished, no more ink in it.

So the answer is written and jaffa al-qalam, the ink became dry. This is one of main, asl, the origin or the source of all ahadith related to imaan, which means to believe in the Unseen: aamantu billah, "I believe in Allah," and Allah is unseen. Wa malaa'ikatihi, and in His angels, also unseen. Wa kutubihi, and in His books, which can be seen, wa rusoolihi, in His prophets, who can be seen, but the first, the Level of Imaan are Unseen, and you have to believe in the Unseen.

So that noor that Allah sent and it guided everyone, through that noor, because the malaaikah are from that noor as it touched them completely, and they are infallible, do they are ascending and descending with the `amal of Bani Adam (a), with what we do. If the `amal are good then the angels will rise all the way past the Seven Heavens and present that `amal to Allah (swt), and Allah (swt) welcomes that one because he was remembering Allah in dunya! That is why dhikrullah is very important. Those whom that Light touched are doing dhikrullah! They miss that Light, they are yearning for that Light, so Allah ordered angels to bring their `amal up, to open the First Heaven if deserved, and to open the Second Heaven if it deserves, and the Third Heaven, and Fourth and further, all the way to the Seventh Heaven, until maq`adi’s-sidq. And those whose `amal are not good, as soon as the angels carry their `amal reaching the First Heaven, samaa ad-dunya, the Heavens that are connected with dunya, if not deserving then they don't raise up.

So our `amal is going all the way up to Heavens, past all these galaxies of this universe, all six-thousand of them. If the `amal is good, it raises past all that and reaches the First Heaven, and if no good it is sent back, thrown in their face and returned back to dunya, the place of zhulma, there is no noor here; noor is only in the hearts of the believers, or else a “dead heart” is a dunya heart; it doesn’t know, it doesn’t think and they have no mind, and no religion even, they are secular, Atheists. They don't think. What we say? Don't try to humiliate them as it is not our judgement, it is Allah’s Judgment, or else we will be humiliated, so we must leave their judgment to Allah (swt). We are concerned with our homes; this Muslim world is our home and we are concerned with those who are Muslim. For non-Muslims, Allah is Great and Allah knows how He will judge them.

لَكُمْ دِينُكُمْ وَلِيَ دِينِ

Lakum deenukum waliya deen.

To you is your religion and to ours, our religion. (Surat al-Kaafiroon, 109:6)

You have your religion, I have my religion, I follow the way that Prophet (s) has shown us, they follow something we don't accept and we feel okay with it and if they feel okay with it, bravo, welcome, and Allah is The Judge. So that Noor is the Noor that Allah (swt) gave to the Prophet (s) and from that Noor the Prophet (s) gave to the ummah. It became stronger because it is coming from Allah (swt) on the Prophet (s) and from the Prophet (s) on us, so that means from the worshipness of the Prophet (s) we must be happy!

O Muslims! The worshipness of Prophet (s) through his Noor will be manifested on his ummah because when he was born he (s) was saying, "Ummatee, ummatee." He was worried about his ummah: in dunya he was worried about his ummah, in Akhirah he is worried for his ummah, and that means everything that Allah gave him he will give to his ummah to make them happy. He (s) will go into sajda in Allah’s Presence three times, as we mentioned the hadith of Imam Bukhari (r) many times in Adab al-Mufrad, asking Allah to give shafa`ah to the ummah every time and according to that hadith, until everyone will go to Paradise.

Muhammad bin Saalih al-Harbi writes in his book, Fawaa’id adh-dhikr at-teeb min al-waabil as-sayyib:

واستنارت به الوجوه، وحييت به الأرواح، وأذعنت به الجوارح للطاعات طوعاً واختياراً، فازدادت به القلوب حياة إلى حياتها

astanarat bihi ‘l-wujooh, wa huyyit bihi ‘l-arwaah, wa ud`inat bihi ‘l-jawaarihi li ’t-ta`aat, Fazdaadat bihi ‘l-quloob hayyaatan ilaa hayyaatihaa,

ًًWith that Noor, all faces were enlightened and souls were rejuvenated, and with that Noor Allah (swt) makes all to accept, to obey.

That is why we say, "Atee`oollaha wa atee`oo ’r-rasula wa uli 'l-amri minkum." That is the Muslim title: to obey Allah and to obey the Prophet (s) and to obey your spiritual scholars or your heart to guide you. and with that the hearts were increased with that Noor until it gave her more and more life.

Muhammad al-Harbi continues:

ثم دلّها ذلك النور إلى نور آخر، هو أعظم منها وأجلّ، وهو نور الصفات العليا، الذي يضمحل فيه كل نور سواه، فشاهدته ببصائر الإيمان مشاهدة نسبتها إلى القلب نسبة المرئيات إلى العين ذلك لاستيلاء اليقين عليها وانكشاف حقائق الإيمان لها،حتى كأنها تنظر إلى عرش الرحمن-تبارك وتعالى

Thumma dallahaa dhaalika ’n-noor ilaa noorin akhir wa huwa `azham minhaa wa ajall, wa huwa noor as-sifaati’l-`aliyya alladhee yadmahil feehi noorun siwaahu fashidathu bi-basaa’ir al-eemaan mushaahidatan nasabathaa ila’l-qqalb nisbata’l-miriyyaat ila’l-`ayn dhaalika lasteelaa’l-yaqeen `alayhaa w’inkishaaf haqaaiq al-eemaan lahaa hattaa ka-annahaa tanzhur `alayha `arshi ‘r-rahmaan, tabaaraka wa ta`ala.

Then that Light has guided us to another Light, which is more important than the first Light as it is the Light of Allah's Beautiful Names and Attributes, and an-Noor is one of Allah's Beautiful Names. With that one Beautiful Name, Allah guides us to all His Sifaat and all His Beautiful Names and Attributes, and may that Light that comes on His servant make his `amal beautiful and clean with nothing on it, with not a single particle of dust on it, and it will be raised to the Presence of Allah (swt) until He, as if that Light turned everything we are doing into a purifying process to be clean, as if that Light of yours is viewing the `Arsh ar-Rahman, looking at Allah's Throne!

All of that is coming through remembrance of Allah (swt)! And what do you have to do for Allah to be happy with you? The best thing that Allah will be happy with you is for you to remember Him through His Beautiful Names and Attributes and to call people to Him and advise them. That is why the Prophet (s) insisted on advising each other; if you know more than your brother advise him, don't keep (knowledge) to yourself. And that is why it is said in a hadith:

إِنَّ الدِّينَ النَّصِيحَةُ إِنَّ الدِّينَ النَّصِيحَةُ إِنَّ الدِّينَ النَّصِيحَةُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالُوا لِمَنْ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ قَالَ ‏"‏ لِلَّهِ وَكِتَابِهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَأَئِمَّةِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَعَامَّتِهِمْ وَأَئِمَّةِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ وَعَامَّتِهِمْ ‏"‏ ‏.‏

Inna ‘d-deen an-naseeha, inna ‘d-deen an-naseeha, inna ‘d-deen an-naseeha. qaaloo liman yaa rasoolullah. qaaloo li’Llaahi wa kitaabihi wa rasoolihi wa a’immati ‘l-mu’mineen wa `aammatihim wa a’immati ‘l-muslimeena wa `ammatihim.

The Prophet (s) said, “Religion is advice! Religion is advice! Religion is advice!" They said, “To whom should it be directed, O Messenger of Allah?" He said, “To Allah, to His Book, to His Messenger, to the leaders of the believers and to the general Muslims.

(Hadith of Tameem ad-Daaree reported by Abu Dawood)

What is best in religion? The focus of religion is an-naseeha, advice. And what he (s) said? “Ad-deenu naseeha,” and then said again, “ad-deenu naseeha” and again, “ad-deenu naseeha,” and that is to confirm that religion is advice.

It means don’t be stubborn, accept advice, don’t be proud! There are too many people who are proud in their thinking, they do not accept anything, they are too proud to listen. And Prophet (s) said, “Religion is advice,” which means put your head down when someone advises you in your religion,

إِنَّ الدِّينَ عِندَ اللّهِ الإِسْلاَمُ

inna ’d-deen `indallahi ‘l-islaam,

The Religion before Allah is Islam (Surat Aali-`Imraan, 3:18)

So accept. And they asked, "Yaa Rasoolullah! To whom do we have to give advice?" and the Prophet (s) said, “Advise people of Allah’s Book and of His Words, words which are not created.” They are not like created words, everyone’s words are created; there is a big difference between what is created and what is not created, and something uncreated relates to Allah (swt). Holy Qur'an is uncreated and anyone that says it is created leaves Islam. It is Allah’s Words containing all kinds of secrets and all kind of powers and that is why the interpretation never ends. Go to my library which is a few books, perhaps a thousand books, and you see how many tafseers are there. That is what I have and what others have are thousands of tafseers. If you want to open a college to teach Islam, to get a license you must have at least 50,000 titles on Islam in your library and how many are tafseer of Holy Qur'an and every tafseer of Holy Qur’an is different, and the same for hadith.

Words of Allah never end, so the advice is to people through Holy Qur'an and for Allah and His Book, and for His Prophet, and for the A'immat al-Muslimeen, the leaders of Muslims, and then for wa amaatahum, everyone included! So naseeha comes from dhikrullah, when you remember Allah and how He gave you a nice way of living in dunya and gave your heart full of light, so you want to share that with someone else, Prophet (s) is saying to share that with someone so everyone can learn.

بَايَعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَاشْتَرَطَ عَلَىَّ وَالنُّصْحِ لِكُلِّ مُسْلِمٍ‏.‏

Baaya`tu Rasoolullah (s) fashtarata `alayya wa an-nus-hu li kulli Muslim.

When I (Jareer) gave the pledge of allegiance to Allah's Messenger (a), he stipulated that I should give good advice to every Muslim. (Bukhari)

Wa `an zi`ad ibni adh-dhaaqa qaal sami`atu … uba`yook `al al-Islam, “I came to the Prophet (s) and I (Jareer) said, ubayoonaka `alaa ‘l-islaam, ‘O Prophet of Allah (s)! I want to take baya`, to accept Islam.’ Fa sharta `alay He (s) accepted, but he put a condition on me, “You want to take baya`, okay, I give you baya`, but on one condition.” Why? Because the Prophet (s) biyundhuru ..bi noorillah, “He looks with the Light that Allah (swt) gave him,” and through that Light the Prophet (s) knows the future! Fasharata `alayya an-nus-hu li kulli Muslim. He (s) put the condition to advise every Muslim because he was intelligent, he knows, and Prophet (s) wanted to use the power of Jareer (r) to affect his entire tribe, so he said, “Okay, I will give you baya`,” although Prophet (s) will give baya` without giving a condition, anyone will accept Islam and he will say yes for him, but because Prophet (s) knew Jareer is powerful, he is intelligent. So he said, “I am givng you baya` on the condition that you go and advise others what you have learned from me,” wa rabbu hadhi ‘l-masjid inni lakum la naasih, and Jareer (r) gave an oath, “By the Lord of this mosque, yaa Rasoolullah, of your mosque,” fa innee lakum la-naasihun ameen, “I am going to advise whoever wants to be advised.” (Bukhari)

This is an advice, as in Islam religion is advice, “ad-deenu nasiha,” that is an advice.

Anas ibn Malik (r) narrated that the Prophet (s) said:

لَا يُؤْمِنُ أَحَدُكُمْ حَتَّى يُحِبَّ لِأَخِيهِ مَا يُحِبُّ لِنَفْسِهِ

Laa yu’minu ahadukum hattaa yuhibbu li akheehi maa yuhibbu li nafsihi.

None of you (truly) believes until he loves for his brother that which he loves for himself.

(Bukhari and Muslim)

“Not one of you truly believes, hattaa yuhibu li akheehi ma yuhibu li nafsihi, until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.” You cannot say, “I love you,” as what is the meaning? But when you do an action do for your brother what you do for yourself, then you did something good as you want him to be good, so you do it for him by action, not by tongue, not just by saying, “I love you,” and then you are a mu’min. He (a mureed) makes juices. He told me, “I love you,” and after he told me “I love you,” he brought cases of juices. Showing love and respect to each other shows imaan in their hearts as Prophet (s) said, narrated by Muslim and Bukhari. So we have to love what we love for ourself for our brother.

The Prophet (s) said:

مَنْ نَفَّسَ عَنْ مُسْلِمٍ كُرْبَةً مِنْ كُرَبِ الدُّنْيَا نَفَّسَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ كُرْبَةً مِنْ كُرَبِ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ وَمَنْ يَسَّرَ عَلَى مُعْسِرٍ فِي الدُّنْيَا يَسَّرَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالآخِرَةِ وَمَنْ سَتَرَ عَلَى مُسْلِمٍ فِي الدُّنْيَا سَتَرَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالآخِرَةِ وَاللَّهُ فِي عَوْنِ الْعَبْدِ مَا كَانَ الْعَبْدُ فِي عَوْنِ أَخِيهِ

Whoever relieves a Muslim of a burden from the burdens of the world, Allah will relieve him of a burden from the burdens on the Day of Judgement. And whoever helps ease a difficulty in the world, Allah will grant him ease from a difficulty in the world and in the Hereafter. And whoever covers (the faults of) a Muslim, Allah will cover (his faults) for him in the world and the Hereafter. And Allah is engaged in helping the worshipper as long as the worshipper is engaged in helping his brother. (Tirmidhi)

“Who helps his brother to overcome a problem or a difficulty, Allah will help him overcome a difficulty on Judgment Day,” so if you know there is a brother that has a problem, help him and Allah will help you on Judgment Day.

Anas ibn Malik (r) narrated that the Prophet (s) said:

انْصُرْ أَخَاكَ ظَالِمًا أَوْ مَظْلُومًا

Ansur akhaaka zhaaliman aw mazhlooman.

Help your brother, whether he is an oppressor or he is an oppressed one. (Bukhari)

Support your brother (whether he is an) zhaaliman--oppressor or mazhlooman--oppressed. If you see your brother is oppressed, many people come and hug him as he is oppressed and that is not enough, but it is a sign of respect and love, to hug the one who is oppressed. You listen to what he is saying and try to make him feel happy.

قَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ هَذَا نَنْصُرُهُ مَظْلُومًا، فَكَيْفَ نَنْصُرُهُ ظَالِمًا قَالَ ‏"‏ تَأْخُذُ فَوْقَ يَدَيْهِ ‏"‏‏.‏

Qaaloo yaa Rasoolullah hadhaa nansuruhu madhlooman fa kayfa nansuruhu dhaaliman qaala ta’khudhu fawqa yadayh.

They asked, “O Allah's Messenger (s)! It is all right to help him if he is oppressed, but how should we help him if he is an oppressor?" The Prophet (s) said, "By preventing him from oppressing others." (Bukhari)

So the Sahaabah (r) heard that hadith and said, “We understand how to help the oppressed, but how to help him when he is an oppressor?” Because he said in that hadith, ansur akhaaka zhaaliman aw mazhlooman, “Support your brother oppressor or oppressed.” “Oppressed we understand, but the oppressor?” Anyone has an answer? [Stop him from oppressing.] Allahu Akbar! Try to advise him to leave that kind of stubborness in his mind of oppression, advise him to leave that bad habit. It is said, tafjzuhu aw tamnaahu min adh-dhulm dhaalika nasruhu. “To prevent him from going and being more of an oppressor to someone else by any means that you think about it.” And all this comes under naseeha, advising, it comes under remembering Allah adh-dhaakir, as the one remembering Allah (swt) will remember all human beings. Who remembers and loves the Prophet (s) will remember all human beings! That is from dhikrullah.

`An Abu Moosa (r) qaal, narrated that the Prophet (s) said:

عَلَى كُلِّ مُسْلِمٍ صَدَقَةٌ، قَالُوا‏:‏ فَإِنْ لَمْ يَجِدْ‏؟‏ قَالَ‏:‏ فَيَعْتَمِلُ بِيَدَيْهِ، فَيَنْفَعُ نَفْسَهُ، وَيَتَصَدَّقُ، قَالُوا‏:‏ فَإِنْ لَمْ يَسْتَطِعْ، أَوْ لَمْ يَفْعَلْ‏؟‏ قَالَ‏:‏ فَيُعِينُ ذَا الْحَاجَةِ الْمَلْهُوفَ، قَالُوا‏:‏ فَإِنْ لَمْ يَفْعَلْ‏؟‏ قَالَ‏:‏ فَيَأْمُرُ بِالْخَيْرِ، أَوْ يَأْمُرُ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ، قَالُوا‏:‏ فَإِنْ لَمْ يَفْعَلْ‏؟‏ قَالَ‏:‏ فَيُمْسِكُ عَنِ الشَّرِّ، فَإِنَّهُ لَهُ صَدَقَةٌ‏.‏

`Alaa kulli muslimin sadaqa. qaaloo fa-in lam yajid. qaala fa ya`tamilu bi yadayhi fa yanfa`u nafsahu wa yatasaddaqoo. qaaloo fa-in lam yastati` aw lam yaf`al. qaala fa yu`eenu dha ‘l-haajati ‘l-malhoof. qaaloo fa-in lam yaf`al. qaala fa ya’muru bi ‘l-khayr aw ya’muru bi ‘l-ma`roof. qaaloo fa-in lam yaf`al. qaala fa yumsiku `ani ‘sh-sharri fa-innahu lahu sadaqatun.

"Every Muslim must give sadaqa." They said, "And if he does not find anything (to give)?" He replied, "Then he should work his hands, benefit himself and then give sadaqa." They asked, "And if he is unable to or does not do it?" He replied, "Then he should help someone with a great need." They said, "And if he does not do it?" He replied, "Then he should command the good or command the correct." They said, "And if he does not do that?" They said, "He should refrain from evil. That is sadaqa for him." (Bukhari)

`Alaa kulli muslimeen sadaqa, “For every Muslim there must be charity; every Muslim has to make charity.” And they asked, ara’ayta in lam yajid, “What if he doesn’t find anything to give charity?” Qaala fa ya`tamilu bi yadayhi fa yanfa`u nafsahu wa yatasaddaqoo. And the Prophet (s) said, “Let him go and do an action with his hands,” not to sit and wait, going and asking people, “Give me.” No, go do something as you benefit yourself and from what you benefit yourself, from that income, go and give sadaqa, because your health needs sadaqa, your body needs sadaqa, your wealth needs sadaqa, your `amal needs sadaqa, your mind needs sadaqa, everything you do needs sadaqa, as without sadaqa nothing can be done!

الصدقة ترد البلاء وتزيد فى العمر

As-sadaqatu tarudd al-balaa wa tazeedu fi 'l-`umr.

Sadaqah removes sickness and calamities and prolongs life.

Charity throws away affliction and stretches life, when he says, As-sadaqatu tarudd al-balaa, “throw away affliction,” not “one” affliction, but all kinds of afflictions that people have and different people have different kinds of problems, sadaqa will take away all these problems! Like this story. Allah sent Malak al-Mawt (a), the Angel of Death, to take the soul of an old lady and that lady did not have anything. She was lonely and alone and didn’t have anything, but she was a strong believer in Allah (swt) and His Prophet (s). Every day she baked three breads and eats one in the morning, one in the evening, and at noon every day a needy person knocked on her door and collected his bread. That is her food, no curry, no spices, no ladoo, but three breads: one in morning, one in evening and at noon time for one needy person. So that day, which coincides with the day her soul was to be taken, she cooked as usual three breads. She wanted to eat in the morning and someone knocked on the door before she ate it and said, “Can you give me from what Allah gave you of sadaqa?” So she gave him the first morning bread and then at noon time the usual one came and knocked at the door and took the second. So she didn’t have except one which she was going to eat in the evening. She waited until the evening, when she came to eat another one came knocking at the door asking for sadaqa and she gave him the third bread.

At that time, the Angel of Death came to take her soul. He wanted to take it from the toes; first of all, the soul goes from there upwards, coming to take, then one bread came and covered them. It defended the system, not allowing, “No. She gave sadaqa so you cannot take from the toes,” because one of the three breads came stopping the Angel of Death. Take from the belly, another bread came and covered the belly. Take from the mouth, another bread came and covered the mouth. And the Angel of Death was now confused about what he should do and he heard a Voice, “I stretched her life because of that sadaqa.” So that is a story, an example of sadaqa that takes away affliction and stretches your life.

الصدقة ترد البلاء وتزيد فى العمر

As-sadaqatu tarudd al-balaa wa tazeedu fi 'l-`umr.

Sadaqah removes sickness and calamities and prolongs life.

So go and work with your hands, cut the grass, don’t be lazy! In the time of Haroon ar-Rasheed, Haroon ar-Rasheed was a successful king of Baghdad, very rich. He built a large dormitory and it was for lazy people, tufayliyoon, those who live on others, they cannot do anything, they want to be lazy, not doing anything, living, so one after one filling this place. And Haroon ar-Rashid was king, he built that place not for everyone, but for those who cannot work, but it was filling up until the whole village was full of these people. And they were eating, drinking, not doing anything, happy. Lazy. The Prophet (s) didn’t allow laziness! In that hadith it says to go and do something with your hands, you will benefit and you will give sadaqa from it; even if you earn one rupee, never mind, but show zeal, enthusiasm to do some work, to do something, not to sit and say, “I am waiting for my father and mother to give to me.” No, go and work! So those lazy ones were going inside, too many of them, then one enemy sent a message, “We are invading Baghdad!” he looked--he didn’t have enough soldiers as all of them were in the village of lazy people.

So his vizier said, “Why are you worried?”

He said, “All of them lazy and we don’t have an army. I need people!”

The vizier said, “Don’t worry, you want them all?”

He said, “Yes.”

“It’s okay, I will get them for you.”

And so he went and put fire in the building, and the fire began to eat the wood and people running away, as they ran away taking them to the army, “Go to army, go to army...” Until two were left and the fire is coming from the right and the man on the right side telling the one on the left,

“Move! The fire is approaching me!”

And the one on the left side telling the one on the right, “Move your way, also the fire is approaching me!”

Then the vizier said, “These are correct, they are not lazy, they are really sick and they cannot move.”

Two out of the whole village were really sick people. So our character is like that: we don’t like to do anything. Some people like to do for dunya very hard, but for Akhirah they are shaky.

So the Prophet (s) said, “No, no, no, no, go and work, do something so people will benefit from you and you will benefit by giving sadaqa.” And Abu Moosa (r) said, “What if he cannot do anything?” Then the Prophet (s) said, yu`eenu dha ‘l-haajati ‘l-malhoof, “Help the one in need by moving him or doing something for him.” Abu Moosa (r) said, “If he cannot do that, then what?” The Prophet (s) said, ya’muru bi ‘l-khayr aw ya’muru bi ‘l-ma`roof, “Call people to what is good and prohibit for them what is bad. Teach them so people can understand and give them an advice.” Abu Moosa (r) said, ara’ayta in lam yaf`al dhaalik, “If he cannot even do that?” The Prophet (s) said, yumsiku `ani ‘sh-sharri fa-innahu lahu sadaqatun, “Stop from doing evil action as that is considered sadaqa,” which means if someone stops doing a sin that he is doing every time, Allah will consider his stopping from sin to be sadaqa. Look how much rahmat Allah has sent to us through the Prophet (s)! Islam is full of rahmat and Islam is full of advice; you can advise your brothers and sisters.

May Allah forgive us, we’ll continue next session inshaa-Allah.

Wa min Allahi 't-tawfeeq, bi hurmati 'l-Fatihah.

That hadith is mutaffaqun `alayh, “agreed upon,” meaning it is related by Bukhari and Muslim.

May Allah give us support in order that our `amal will be changed from imitational `amal or bad `amal to good `amal with the barakah of the Prophet (s)!

Salaam `alaykum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh.

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